ATSSA Signal Nov/Dec 2018

Innovation & New Programs American Traffic Safety Services Association 22 Los Angeles’ “scramble crosswalks” are offering a safe solution for pedes- trian crossings at major intersections across the city. Scramble crosswalks, also known as “The Barnes Dance,” are diagonal cross- ings at intersections with a traffic con- trol signal, where traffic is stopped in all directions to allow pedestrians to cross safely and efficiently. With this cross- walk, pedestrians have the ability to cross not only east-west or north-south like traditional crossings, but they can also cross to the opposite corner by cut- ting through the middle of the street during the “pedestrian only” intersec- tion timing. According to City of Los Angeles Depart- ment of Transportation (DOT) Engineer- ing Associate Oliver Hou, the DOT felt that adding the scramble crosswalks would improve crossing safety for pe- destrians. “Scrambles have been shown to improve pedestrian safety elsewhere, especially in areas with high pedestrian volume,” said Hou. Hou said that there are scramble cross- walks at several intersections through- out the city, including Hollywood/ Highland, Alvarado/6th, Alvarado/Wilshire, Alvarado/7th, Westwood/Le Conte, Brox- ton/Weyburn, and Jefferson/McClintock, and another one will be added at Holly- wood/Vine. The DOT installed the Hol- lywood/Highland crosswalk in 2015, with several of the additions along Alvarado installed in 2017. When rolling out the new crosswalks additional signage and signals were needed to get pedestrians and drivers used to the new configuration, but Hou stated that the crossings have been ef- fective in decreasing incidents. “We have observed that the Hollywood/ Highland scramble crosswalks have re- duced the number of pedestrian-involved collisions by 53 percent,” said Hou. Vi- sion Zero LA, a city-initiative to eliminate injuries and fatalities on roadways, also noted a decrease in crashes at the scram- ble crosswalks. According to Vision Zero LA, 245 lives were lost in 2017 in Los An- geles alone. Along with the roadway safety element, scramble crosswalks and other innova- tive crosswalk designs, such as colorful and 3D crosswalks, offer ATSSAmember companies business opportunities. While this crosswalk option is Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) compliant, not all of the recent crosswalk innovations are compliant, according to ATSSA Senior Technical Ad- visor Eric Perry. “Pedestrian fatalities are on the rise in a lot of areas and engineers are looking for innovative ways to save lives either through increased signal timing for pe- destrians at signalized intersections, scramble crosswalks, or other methods. When we come up with new ideas, they don’t always fall under the guides of the MUTCD, however, there is a process de- fined within the MUTCD to experiment with new devices or applications,” said Perry. Look for more information on scramble crosswalks and their effectiveness as a roadway safety countermeasure in the upcoming ATSSA case study, “Traffic Control Device Innovations to Improve Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety at Signal- ized Intersections.” To learnmore about LA’s scramble crosswalks and their other pedestrian projects, visit ladot.lacity. org/crosswalks. Photo courtesy of L.A. DOT Make mine scrambled L.A.’s “scramble crosswalks” reduce pedestrian collisions by 53 percent